Everything was happiness and celebration inside the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse on Thursday night after they beat the Atlanta Braves for the third and final time in the National League Division Series to eliminate them from playoff contention.
The Phillies are now going to the NL Championship Series, where they will face the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks in a best-of-seven affair.
For a moment during Thursday’s game, though, it seemed like their best player, Bryce Harper, was going to have to miss extended time.
Harper collided with Braves star Matt Olson after a play in the eighth inning, and immediately grabbed his surgically-repaired right elbow in pain.
As a reminder, he played most of the 2022 with a torn UCL and underwent surgery in the offseason.
He did tell reporters after the game that he is fine.
“‘I’m good,” Bryce Harper said. ‘Just hit my funny bone. I’m good,’” Phillies insider Matt Gelb tweeted.
“I’m good,” Bryce Harper said. “Just hit my funny bone. I’m good.”
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) October 13, 2023
The Phillies, then, have avoided a catastrophic scenario in which they have to face one of the hottest teams in baseball without their top offensive producer, one who had a .900 OPS in the regular season and already has three homers in six playoff games so far.
Harper should be ready to go when the Phillies announce their lineup to face the D-Backs in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Monday.
He will try to overcome the tough Snakes and return to the World Series, where he has unfinished business after the Phillies’ loss last year against the Houston Astros.
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